Jealous
by Curious Archer
Summary: Robin wasn't the kind of girl to get jealous. She just wasn't. She wasn't. Really!... But if that bitch didn't keep her hand to herself then she was going to lose it! Curious Archer. Oneshot.


With the steady beat of pop music playing behind her to fill the silence, Robin paused mid pose in front of a new full-length mirror that sat in the corner of her room, just opposite the doorway. She put her hands on her hips, cocking her head to the side and turning slightly, evaluating her reflection critically in a way she hadn't done for years. She turned in a full circle, looking at every possible angle she could, even checking over her shoulder to see how it looked from behind. Then she faced the mirror and paused again. Finally, she pulled off the jacket she had been examining on herself and tossed it onto the ever-growing pile on her bed. Almost angry now, Robin spun around and snatched a jumper that was lying over the back of a nearby chair, pulling it on over her grey blouse for just a few minutes before that too follow her jacket onto the bed.

This was so much easier back in Storybrooke. Alexandra had been crazy about clothes and fashion and whether Robin wanted her advice or not, she always got it. Back then she had been younger, and had tried a little harder to fit in with what the other girls in school were wearing and doing on the weekends. Now that she was older, she rarely bothered trying to look nice like that, focussing more on being practical instead, choosing comfort over stylish and dark earth colours to blend in during the hunt over bright neon colours to stand out for cute crushes and so on. Ironically, now that she no longer had the pressure of fitting in, she would have greatly appreciated having a bossy blonde tell her what looked best for a long night out.

Sighing, Robin went back to her wardrobe, but it was almost completely bare now. The only things left were the scruffy clothes she wore when she didn't mind making a mess, aka the ones already stained beyond recognition of what their original colours were supposed to be. Hardly suitable for going anywhere nice in. And while the place that they were going wasn't exactly over the top fancy, Robin still wanted to make sure she looked her very best for it. After all, it was the first time that she and her girlfriend were going out for a proper date in town.

Before today, their dates were more private. They had the kind of dates where they took long walks in the forest or found quiet places in fields and by rivers and waterfalls in order to be alone with one another and enjoy the beautiful atmosphere around them. Occasionally they were a little more adventurous, climbing mountains and going deep underground into long forgotten caves and tunnels but despite what they did, it was always just the two of them. Their getting together hadn't exactly been conventional in the first place and neither girl had considered having a date night in the way other people might, at least not when it came to going out in public for dinner and drinks and over eager entertainment surrounding by other couples doing the same. It wasn't until a few days ago that they decided to do anything different.

As usual they had been relaxing together on their own personal date. At that time, they had been sitting together on Robin's balcony while she fired lazy arrows off into the trees bellow for target practice and Alice stretched back on the floor, smiling under the warm afternoon sun. Robin had been telling Alice about some of the things she would probably be doing if she still lived in Storybrooke, and she had ended up laughing about how the girls she had known probably wouldn't understand their personal dates out. Alice had quizzed her about it and eventually, after she had finished explaining, Alice surprised her by asking if she could take Robin out for a proper date like the ones her old classmates had back in Storybrooke.

Robin had been unsure about it at first. She was never much for dressing up and going out, even back when she still lived in Storybrooke where it was almost expected of her. She did it because it was expected of her, but she didn't especially love it. Hell, she didn't even really like it. But Alice had been so excited by the idea, and Robin didn't have it in her to turn her down. So, she agreed to take Alice into town where they could find a place to have a meal and a drink together one quiet evening. They didn't have any plans for after, but it was heavily implied that they would both end up at Robin's like most evenings they spent together.

With another sigh of disappointment – though this one that was starting to sound more like an impatient huff – Robin turned back to the pile of clothes lying on the end of her bed. She walked over, dividing the larger pile into two slightly smaller piles. One on the floor; aka the ones she had absolutely no interest in even pretending to think about, and one on the other side of the bed; aka the ones she was at the very least considering, even if she was doing so somewhat unhappily. The pile on the floor was much bigger than the one on the bed.

Robin stripped down to her underwear and quickly redressed again. She pulled on a light green low-neck blouse that her mother had gotten her for her twenty first birthday and a pair of dark brown trousers that were tight against her legs. The trousers had actually been brought for hunting, since their colour blended in easily with the woods she crept through at night, but she hadn't had a chance to try them out just yet, so they still look brand new and halfway decent. Robin was just beginning to consider it when she found the only shoes that matched the outfit were an extremely worn out and filthy pair of hunting boots.

Without even an irritated sigh, Robin stripped back down once more and tossed the clothes back onto the bed with the others. This time she pulled on a pair of dark blue shorts she normally saved for the summer and a yellow long sleeve soft cotton jumper she'd never really liked but her aunt insisted looked good on her. Robin pulled a face at herself, undressing and pulling back on the dark brown trousers and the green blouse for a second try. It was by far the better outfit she had out of the lot. But she still didn't have any damn shoes to go with it!

"You look nice."

By now, Robin was used to her mother's sudden magical appearances. She'd been dealing with it for as long as she could remember. However, she wasn't used to her appearing directly into her bedroom like this. Normally Zelena was pretty good when it came to knocking on the door, or even the wall if the door was open, before she just walked in. The only exception was when she was worried or angry, the most recent example being when she stormed in because she thought something was wrong with Robin when she came home to find her playing the music louder than normal. In the end it turned out Robin was simply using the music to entertain her girlfriend while things… Let's say heated.

"Everything okay?" Robin asked, trying to subtly kick some of the clothes under the bed but considering she had almost her entire wardrobe out, it wasn't all that subtle.

"I heard you huffing and storming about." Zelena said with a knowing smile.

"I wasn't storming." Robin said immediately.

"Right." Zelena said, unconvinced. "Anyway, you do look nice. I like the outfit."

"I don't." Robin lied, digging through the remaining clothes on the bed.

"Why not?" Zelena blinked.

"I don't have any shoes to go with it. Not anything nice at least." Robin grumbled, pulling out a white long sleeved loose jacket that she pulled over the top, covering that with her usual dark brown vest. It had a series of secret pockets specifically for hidden weapons. Maybe she had something that would at least go with her jackets?

"What about your hunting boots? They'd look nice with it." Zelena noted.

"They're a mess." Robin explained, pulling them out from by the wall and showing her mother the tattered remains. "I need new ones."

Without a word, Zelena waved a hand in front of her and suddenly all the dirt vanished, and all the splits and strains neatly knit themselves back together. Within seconds the boots looked as good and new as her trousers did.

"There." Zelena said proudly. "All better!"

Robin hesitated, then offered her mother a small smile. "Thanks."

"No problem. Now hurry up. Alice is waiting downstairs." Zelena said, her teasing smile back again.

Robin dropped onto a clear spot on the bed, quickly pulling the boots on her feet. She no longer cared about her outfit or how she looked, and instead rushed to tie up the straps and laces tightly halfway up to her knees, biting her lip raw with sudden intense concentration. When she was done, she instinctively reached for the bow and arrow sitting by her desk before hesitating, her hand hovering in the air for a second.

"Leave it." Zelena said, when she saw her mental struggle. "You're not going to run into any trouble in town."

"There's always a chance for trouble." Robin said, pulling her quiver over her head and grabbing her bow.

"It ruins your outfit." Zelena noted with a slight pout. "Why don't you just take that shell I gave you. The little one you can slip in your pocket. If you run into any trouble, give me a call and I'll come get you out of it."

"Thanks, but I'm old enough to take care of myself, mum." Robin shrugged. "And I don't think Alice minds if I've got my weapons with me."

Zelena sighed. "Alright. Go on, don't keep her waiting any longer."

Robin smiled at her as she ducked passed, running down the steps two at a time and jumping the last three onto the ground floor with a loud thud. She paused only then, taking a quick breath to calm herself before she walked into the living room where Alice was waiting for her.

As the other girl walked in, Alice quickly stood up to greet her. Unlike Robin, Alice didn't have a wide range of clothes to choose from and so had to settle with giving her usual ankle length dress a thorough wash and dry before coming out tonight. Something that she was now becoming very self-conscious about. Especially while seeing Robin all dressed in such a lovely and new looking outfit of her own. The only new thing that Alice had included on her person was a pair of brown leather gloves that her father had recently given her and even they were already beginning to look scruffy after constant wear.

"Hey," Robin beamed, stepping up to hug her. "How are you?"

"I'm great... You look beautiful." Alice said, her voice sounding almost dreamy as she looked her love up and down slowly.

"You too." Robin grinned.

Alice shrugged, looking a little put out. "I'm not wearing anything special."

"Doesn't matter. You always look beautiful." Robin replied.

"Alice, sweetheart, do you want to borrow something from my closet?" Zelena asked suddenly from behind them.

"Oh no, it's fine." Alice said immediately, holding up her hands and feeling her face warm up.

"Come on!" Zelena insisted. "You both deserve to look nice for your night out. In fact, I have the perfect dress in mind!"

Before Alice could say anything else, Zelena had already waved her hand at her. Robin stepped back as a puff of green smoke surrounded Alice's body, swirling around her completely before it faded and drifted away, leaving Alice a little startled and largely done up. Now she found herself standing in a dark red silk dress that fell down passed her knees with a pattern of black outline roses that covered it and simple short sleeves with black boots that went halfway up her calves, very much like Robin's hunting boots only much darker. The only thing she still had were the brown leather gloves and even they had been freshly cleaned and fixed up so much that she almost didn't recognise them. It was only because they had her initials stitched on the front of her wrist that she knew they were still the ones given by her papa.

"Much better!" Zelena beamed.

"Mum, do we need to have a talk about boundaries." Robin hissed, watching Alice's shocked face nervously. It was impossible to tell if her mother had officially crossed the line this time.

"She looks great!" Zelena insisted.

"It's very nice..." Alice said, staring down at herself and gently stroking the dress in fascination. "But I can't wear it." She looked up, shaking her head. "It's too nice."

"Nonsense. In fact, you can keep it." Zelena shrugged. "Robin's not much of a dress girl but, to be honest, it suits you more anyway! Think of it as a gift. Now go on! Both of you! Go enjoy your date!"

"Are you okay with this?" Robin asked quietly, taking Alice's hand.

Alice hesitated then shrugged shyly with a small smile. "Yeah, I mean... It's a lovely dress."

"You heard her! She likes it! Now go!" Zelena said, waving her hand again.

The next thing the girls knew they were surrounded by a cloud of green smoke and then were left standing right outside the house. Robin, far used to it by now, rolled her eyes and shrugged it off with only slight annoyance, even while Alice was still trying to get her bearings and instinctively reaching a hand out to steady herself. When she no longer felt like she was going to fall over, she found herself running her hands down over her legs and shoulders like she was checking all her limbs were still there. The material of the dress was soft, something she could tell even through her thick leather gloves and she found herself caught between loving it and feeling guilty about just taking something clearly so special. At the very least it wasn't something Alice could have afford on her own.

"Sorry," Robin said when she saw Alice looking down at herself. "Maybe next time we plan a date we should do it when mum isn't home." She hesitated. "You do look gorgeous in that dress, though."

"Really?" Alice said, smiling and blushing slightly at the compliment.

"Truly." Robin leaned over and kissed her. "Now let's go eat!"

 **O*U*A*T**

There weren't exactly any five-star restaurants in this world, but neither Alice nor Robin wanted (nor could they even afford) to go anywhere that was over the top in the first place. They were a lot happier taking the short walk down to one of the quiet towns closest to Robin's home where a local, but still quite popular, bar was waiting for them. When Robin had asked her mother for advice about places she could take Alice for their date, this was one of the first ones she named as being the most friendly with the best food to match. Even though Alice had technically asked her out, they silently agreed that Robin would need to plan the where, since she knew the public area here a lot better than Alice did.

For the whole walk there, they caught up their day with one another and quickly became so lost in conversation that it felt like no time had passed before they had reached their destination. It wasn't much to look at from the outside. The kind of place that seemed small on the outside and very basic, nothing exactly special in its brick and wooden structure. In fact, the only thing that almost made it stand out was the short set of stairs that led to an equally short porch in front of the main doors.

However, as soon as they stepped inside, Alice was taken aback by just how big the space was, as well as how brightly decorated and all out nice it was. There was a soft piano melody being played from an unknown source throughout the room with only a small amount of chatter from the customers to disrupt it. On one end of the room, opposite the entrance, was a long wooden counter where several people were running back and forth, serving drinks and food to those that waited patiently for them on the other side, while the rest of the room was littered with round wooden tables and matching chairs tucked up against them, some large enough for a dozen people while some so small they looked like they barely comfortable sat one. The people already inside were deep in their separate conversations with friends and barely noticed Alice and Robin as they stepped through the doors, while the few that did glance up, looked away again almost instantly. Guess they didn't make much of an impression.

It wasn't until Robin moved ahead, pulling Alice along slightly behind her, that she noticed the way Alice was clinging to her hand. And it was only when she glanced back at her and saw the way she kept playing with her dress (mostly the skirt, which was shorter than she was used to) and looking around the room that Robin realised how nervous she probably was. While this was her idea, and she no doubt was happy to be doing it, this was also probably the first time she had been in such a crowded space like this, dressed the way she was, for a romantic night with her girlfriend. But then, saying that, even Robin was feeling a little nervous. This wasn't exactly her usual comfort zone either.

Before Robin could suggest they take a moment to go stand by one of the many fires against the far walls away from the others, Alice seemed to shake off her nerves – or at least tuck them out of sight – and took charge, storming ahead so it ended up with _her_ pulling _Robin_ along. They walked straight up to the counter instead and were almost immediately greeted by a pretty, young waitress with straw like blonde hair and dark brown eyes.

"Hey there, ladies. What can I get you?" The waitress asked cheerfully.

"Some menus and a table please." Robin asked, trying to sound like she knew what she was doing. On the few occasions that she had gone out for whatever reason, it was normally with her mother who always handled the formalities of the evening.

"Coming right up, just give me a second." The waitress said, vanishing back into one of the rooms behind the counter.

"So, what do you think?" Robin asked after the girl had left, subtly flexing her fingers behind her back. Alice had a stronger grip than she gave her credit for.

"Great," Alice beamed excitedly. "It's really nice here."

"Yeah." Robin said, pretending to agree. She was enjoying herself, at least, but only because of Alice being there with her.

"You are not very convincing, you know." Alice noted, cocking her head to the side curiously. "Don't you like it?"

"I am!" Robin insisted. "This just... Isn't what I'm usually into." She admitted. "The truth is, I just prefer our normal hang outs. I've never been that interested in this kind of thing, even when I was back in Storybrooke." She quickly added. "But I don't hate this or anything. In fact, I am excited to try it out with you. I bet it'll be a lot more fun!"

Alice beamed at her. "I'm looking forward to my first dinner out with you, too. Plus, this place really is nice." She repeated, looking around the room. "I was actually expecting something really showy and loud. Something that was going to make me really uncomfortable but it's not like that at all. I actually feel like this place is perfect, even."

"Yeah, mum did a good job for once." Robin joked with a bright laugh.

"I wish I could have done this with papa," Alice said wistfully, turning away for a moment before she looked back at Robin, reaching to brush a stray strand of hair behind her love's ear. "But I'm glad I could do it with you, all the same."

"Me too," Robin said sincerely, putting her hand over Alice's and holding it against her cheek. For a quiet moment it felt like it was just the two of them.

Then their quiet moment was broken all too quickly by the reappearance of the waitress, holding a pair of menus in one hand and a small palm sized notebook in the other with a pen pinched between her index finger and her thumb. She quickly turned and led the girls back across the room to a small two-person table by one of the few windows lining the wall. It didn't have much of a view but there was a small glimpse of the sky which, when the dark clouds moved out the way, showed some of the warm evening colours from the start of the suns set. It would be dark before they were finished eating. Alice's favourite time of day.

"Is this okay?" She asked them. "Or would you prefer to be further in the back away from the breeze?"

"No, the breeze is wonderful, thank you." Robin said, feeling relieved to be even just a little closer to the outside like she preferred.

As the girls took their seats opposite one another and accepted their menus, they quickly ordered a glass of ice water each and watched the waitress hurry back to the counter where a large crowd was beginning to gather. It seemed they had come on quite a busy night. Luckily the tables around them were mostly deserted, except for the table behind Alice which had three girls a little older than them sitting together, finishing off what looked like a quick bite to eat and laughing with one another loudly and a little obnoxiously. Not that it was their fault. They were all having a good time. It was just one of the many reasons Robin preferred quiet dates in the woods to ones where other people's fun could ruin yours.

"This all looks very... Fancy." Alice said finally, frowning down at the long list of meals in her hand.

"Actually, I think you'll find this is pretty standard stuff. The kind you'd get from anywhere" Robin explained automatically. Alice felt the beginning of embarrassment at how obvious Robin made that sound, but the feeling faded just as quickly when Robin continued saying; "But I get what you mean. It's more than either of us is used to, that's for sure."

"Yeah," Alice agreed, then said sweetly. "Tell you what. You know about this stuff and you know me. So why don't you order for the both of us? Think of it as a girlfriend test."

Robin stared at her suspiciously. "Are you just unloading on me, so you don't have to make a choice yourself?"

Alice leaned forward so she was half lying on the table, arms resting around either side and a soft pout on her lips. "Would I do that?"

Grinning down at her, Robin nodded slowly. "Fine. I'll pick for us both."

Alice jumped up to her feet, leaning across the table and kissing Robin quickly. Or at least, she tried to. Her jump may have been a little overly enthusiastic and before she could give Robin her kiss, the chair she was sitting on had been kicked back by the heels of her feet, falling and hitting the arm of one of the girl closest to Alice at the table behind her.

"Oh," Alice said quickly, turning and holding her hands up in surrender. "Sorry!"

"It's okay," The girl she accidentally hit smiled, pushing her dark hair out of the way of her dark blue eyes with a little flip. "I never mind getting knocked into by someone so long as they're cute."

Alice smiled at her, a little shyly now but also still quite pleased, before righting her chair and turning back to face Robin. Once she was facing forward, she found herself giving a much more openly pleased smile at her girlfriend, raising her eyebrows a little her like she was both showing off and a little taken aback by the compliment. Robin grinned back at her, loving that expression on her love's face. It was somehow the perfect blend of being adorably innocent and mischievously knowing at the same time.

However, Robin much preferred it when she was the reason for that smile. But then, the night was young, and Robin was willing to play a game with herself to see how many times she could get that look out of Alice before their dinner date was over.

"I'm Henrietta by the way." The girl said, leaning back in her seat to look at Alice. "But everyone just calls me Ettie."

"Alice." Alice said happily, giving her a bright friendly smile. "And this is Robin."

"Hi," Robin said, giving a little wave. She supposed one good thing about coming out was that you at least got a chance to meet new people.

"I don't think I've seen you around before." Ettie said, never taking her eyes off of Alice. Robin felt a little offended but quickly brushed those thoughts aside. Alice rarely got a chance to properly interact with people like this, and Robin was hardly going to interrupt just because she wasn't getting enough attention. She wasn't a child.

"I'm not from around." Alice shrugged. "I'm from... Let's say all over."

"Oh, a traveller. I'm jealous." Ettie laughed, pushing her chair right back so she was by Alice's side now.

"It is a pretty good life." Alice grinned. "Better than being locked inside all day every day."

Despite the fact that she clearly didn't get the joke (it was more of an inside one anyway) Ettie laughed. In fact, she seemed to laugh a little more loudly than was deserved, even if you knew the joke, and Robin felt forced to join in, knowing she would just feel more awkward if she just sat there, watching them. But even with obviously forced laughter, Ettie still didn't even glance her way. And her friends were both whispering and giggling quietly to one another on the other end of the table, glancing at Alice and Ettie with cheeky sparks in their eyes that made Robin more than a little uncomfortable.

"You'll have to take me along one day." Ettie said, grinning at Alice in a way that made the whole conversation feel a whole lot less innocent. Robin blinked and forced her face to relax when she realised she had started to frown at them.

"No offence, but I don't think you could keep up." Alice said jokingly.

"Oh, you'd be surprised at how well I could keep up." Ettie said suggestively, raising an eyebrow and smiling at Alice.

Robin was frowning again. She tried to wipe the look from her face and smile at them but judging by the look one of Ettie's friends shot her, her smile wasn't very friendly or convincing. Well tough. What else did they expect? Who the hell was this Ettie girl to start talking to Alice like that? In fact, what kind of girl just randomly started talking to other girls in that way? It was pathetic. Totally pathetic.

"Maybe I could show you one time." Ettie said casually.

Okay, now she was really starting to annoy Robin. Who even talked like that? And who ignored her two friends in favour of talking to a stranger who accidentally bumped into you? This girl was a freak, that was for sure.

"I'd really like to get to know you and hear about all these travels." Ettie went on. "It's kind of an unrealised dream of mine to see the world."

"How original." Robin mumbled, rolling her eyes.

Alice suddenly looked back at her and she quickly smiled, hoping it didn't look as tight it felt on her chest. Ettie was either completely blanking Robin out of spite, or she was just so completely deaf and dumb that she really didn't hear Robin's not so quiet comment. After a moment of Ettie's non-stop talking, Alice shot Robin one last puzzled expression before looking back at her new friend. Robin did her best to look nonchalant about it, but she had a feeling that her lips were a little more strained than her normal smile was but at least Alice didn't seem to notice… Though a part of Robin was starting to wish she would.

"I really love that dress." Ettie said, eyes trailing down Alice's body and suddenly Robin felt a scream echoing inside her head, pressing her lips tightly together to keep it from escaping.

"Thanks," Alice said, smiling down at herself, glancing up at Robin. "Robin's mum gave it to me. She's very generous."

"Well it looks fantastic on you." Ettie went on, still not even wasting a glance in Robin's direction. It was infuriating but at least this time Alice seemed to notice. She frowned slightly and cocked her head at her but didn't say anything.

Ettie continued to be oblivious about Alice's frown, or the fact that Alice was not actively offering any conversation on her part and kept going, pushing her chair back even further to look at her properly. "What's the most romantic place you've been? In your travels, I mean." Ettie continued asking.

"Oh, that's easy." Robin said quickly, jumping in before she could stop herself. She was determined to make Ettie acknowledge that she was there. To make her realise that Alice was very much taken. "A beautiful clearing by the water where you can see the stars. We go there a lot. Don't we, Alice?"

Alice looked at Robin again with not quite a frown on her forehead, while Ettie finally seemed to begrudgingly notice Robin sitting there and gave her a friendly smile in return. Was it just Robin's imagination or was that smile a little cold? In fact, it looked a little smug too. Bitch.

"Cool." Ettie said simply.

"Maybe you should go there with your partner." Robin said, giving a cold smile of her own.

"Oh, I don't have a partner." Ettie said, turning back to Alice and just like that, Robin was once again forgotten.

"Wonder why." Robin grumbled, this time too quietly for even Alice to hear.

Ettie had somehow turned the conversation to the things she had seen in life. She put on a voice like it was so amazing but compared to the life that Robin and Alice had, hers was a boring kiddies story.

Yawn.

But for some reason, probably manners, Alice was acting like her stories were _actually_ interesting. And Robin knew she was acting. Her finger was drawing little circles on top of the table, the way she did when she wasn't really paying that much attention because she was just a tad bored of what was being said. But at the same time, she was being polite and letting them prattle on and the finger twirling was her attempt to keep from showing just how bored she was. Robin didn't know why she didn't just tell her to shut up already?

The dip in Robin's stomach was suddenly growing into a large painfully pit. So much so that she was beginning to feel a little sick by it. She wanted to say something but at the same time, Robin was afraid of ruining their date by making a scene over what was probably nothing. No, it was definitely nothing. Despite Ettie's best attempts, nothing she did or said would get her anywhere with Alice. So why was Robin still feeling like the whole night was being ruined?

"Tell you what. I'll take you to one of my places, and you can take me to one of yours." Ettie said, reaching out and putting a hand on Alice's leg, just above her knee.

A hot fury burned inside Robin so hard and fast that she almost choked when she drew in a sharp breath. She resisted the urge to cough as best as she could and tried to relax her suddenly tense body, watching as Ettie stared right into Alice's eyes like they had known each other forever. And what the hell was her hand doing, still lingering on Alice's leg like that? Even as Alice clearly tried to shuffle back away from her, Ettie just leaned even closer. And when Alice glanced sideways at Robin, she couldn't even bring herself to mask the distaste in her mouth and grimaced slightly when she tried to un-crease her forehead. When Alice raised an eyebrow, Robin gave a tight smile and a little shrug. An almost 'what're you gonna do' gesture because what else could she do?

Okay, calm. Breath. Robin quietly scolded herself. Robin wasn't some silly teenage girl in school who overreacted and got territorial over people. She was mature enough to not be bothered by stuff like this. Besides, Robin wasn't the kind of girl to get jealous. She just wasn't. _She wasn't_. Really!... But if that bitch didn't keep her hand to herself then she was going to lose it!

"Have you decided?"

The voice startled Robin and she looked up to find the waitress back, notebook and pen poised in hand at the ready, staring at her expectantly. Robin blushed and looked down at the menu, realising she hadn't been even thinking about food since Ettie started talking with Alice. She had barely looked at the options.

"Uh..." Robin stuttered.

"If I may..." Ettie said, slowly leaning right against Alice in order to point to something on the menu in front of her. " _That_ is definitely the best thing you could get here." Her face was practically touching Alice's. And, of course, Alice barely seemed to notice, glancing from the menu up at Robin curiously. Robin purposely didn't look at her, trying to quickly pick something and ignore how frustrating it was, seeing Ettie and Alice so close from the corner of her eye.

"Oh really?" Alice said in vague distracted interest.

"Yeah." Ettie turned to face Alice at the same time as she turned to look at her. It ended with them being a whisper away from accidentally kissing-

Before she had even realised what was happening, Robin had stood so sharply that her chair was thrown backwards, tipping over behind her, and her hands hit the table loud enough so that the sound echoed a bang throughout the room. It was enough of a noise to cause the waitress to take a startled step back and silence most of the people within earshot, including Ettie and her friends. They now stared at her in shock, except for Ettie who looked surprised and a little annoyed. Like she had any right to be annoyed!

Ignoring all of the looks she was getting from them, as well as the other guests who happened to be close by, Robin pushed away from the table and strode around in front of the waitress, moving over to stand on the other side of Alice. She leaned right down, putting one arm around Alice's shoulders protectively and the other on Alice's hand resting over the menu, entwining their fingers and squeezing tightly, all the while glaring at Ettie.

"Would you mind giving my _girlfriend_ some space." Robin said coldly, trying to unclench her jaw long enough to get the words out.

Ettie looked like she tasted something foul and made a dramatic show of throwing her hands in the air, leaning back away from them before she turned and scooted her chair back under her own table. She scowled the whole time and her friends were now glaring daggers at Robin, practically spitting whispers to each other. Yeah, maybe she had been a bit rude about it, but what did they expect when Ettie had been inches away from sexually assaulting the woman Robin loved?

Before Robin had a chance to step back towards her seat and resume their dinner date, Alice had jumped onto her feet and pushed past her. She was striding halfway to the door as Robin got her balance and tried to process what had just happened between them.

"Looks like your girlfriend doesn't want to be near you right now." Ettie smirked.

Robin resisted the urge to swear (or do a whole lot worse), and instead settled for a sharp glare before she turned and broke into a run after Alice. She ignored the waitress completely, who was looking very irritated with her now, and the many odd looks she got from the other customers – including one creep who winked at her for whatever reason – and dashed straight through the doors as quickly as she could, nearly running directly into Alice from where she was waiting just on the other side.

"There you are. I thought you were right behind me." Alice said calmly. "Come on, let's go. The nights still young so let's go grab something to eat somewhere else before we call it quits."

"Wait." Robin blinked, coming to a sharp stop just before she crashed into her. "You're not annoyed?"

"Why would I be annoyed?" Alice asked, cocking her head in confusion.

"Uh... Because I got all territorial?" Robin asked a little embarrassed, playing through the scene in her head and realising how crazy and stupid she must have looked back there. No wonder Alice made a break for it.

"Oh that?" Alice laughed. "I thought that was pretty hot." She grinned at Robin, raising her eyebrows.

"Then why did you run?" Robin asked, baffled.

"Well I thought you wanted to leave. I mean that was why you did what you did, right? Because you'd had enough of it in there? I mean, I know I had." Alice shrugged. "That Ettie girl was a little desperate for my liking and it was way too stuffy anyway." She paused and sighed. "At first it was nice in there, but I think I got my hopes a little high and expected more from it. But if that's the company you have to put up with, so you can't even have a quiet moment during a date, with a fire burning down your neck and a constant piano play, I think I'm happy to skip it." She rolled her eyes. "Seriously though, what's wrong with a little cool peace?"

Robin blinked at her. "Why didn't you say something?" Then paused. "Wait, you knew that bitch was flirting with you? Why didn't you tell her you weren't interested?!"

"I didn't say anything because I was trying to tough it out." Alice explained. "But then you kind of gave us an out and I figured I'd have been a fool not to take it!" She laughed.

"And the bitch?" Robin demanded.

Alice shrugged innocently. "I was gonna tell her... But then I saw you and well... I could hardly pass up a chance to see you get all 'territorial' over me." She grinned again. "You never seemed to care when a guy throws me a compliment when we're passing by papa's camp, but a girl does it and suddenly you look like someone just relieved themselves all over your new boots."

"You did it to mess with me?" Robin said sharply.

Shrugging, Alice nodded her head bluntly. "Yeah, pretty much."

Somehow, despite Alice's casual confession, Robin couldn't bring herself to be annoyed with her. In fact, she suddenly felt like laughing.

"You are wicked." Robin said, stepping up to her and smiling slightly.

"Actually, I think that's your department. I mean, you _are_ the daughter of the Wicked Witch." Alice noted, smirking slightly.

Robin caught sight of Ettie and her friends in one of the windows from the corner of her eye. They were standing and walking towards the exit in their little group, snickering together. Either still laughing about Robin and her reaction or otherwise had completely moved on from it. Either way, it was an incredibly irritating sight.

"Actually, I'm more petty than Wicked. Would you mind-" Robin started.

Before she had finished, Alice wrapped her arms around her waist and pulled her in for a long kiss. Robin shut her eyes, wrapping her arms around her shoulders and returning the kiss enthusiastically. It was meant to show off in front of that Ettie girl, but the kiss was so distracting that both girls quickly forgot about everyone else and were lost in each other's hold. By the time they pulled apart, Ettie and her friends had not only left the bar and walked passed them but were also long gone from their sight.

"This was fun," Alice said. "We should go places where girls flirt with me more often!"

"The next girl that flirts with you has five seconds before I punch them." Robin said immediately.

"Hmm, girl on girl fight. Wonder if it's as hot as people say it is." Alice said, looking thoughtful.

"Ha, ha, ha." Robin said sarcastically, wrapping an arm around Alice's waist and guiding her down the steps and away from the town, trying not to be obviously quick about it.

So maybe dressing up and going out for evening dinners at restaurants and bars in town wasn't their thing. But that was okay. They were a lot happier just being with each other in quiet places where there wasn't the threat of Robin starting a fight, one that would no doubt get them kicked out of wherever they were anyway. Even if that was something that Alice would have loved to have seen.


End file.
